Little Brother
by Lariren-Shadow
Summary: Ursa asks Zuko and Azula to babysit their little half-brother for the night.


**A/N**: For be-the-peaf prompt babybending. I suck at titles. "The Search" compliant.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own.

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><p>Zuko had absolutely no idea what to do with the toddler in his arms. Especially since they were apparently playing a game that, as far as Zuko could tell, the rules were cry every time the boy's feet touched the floor. "Just let me put you down for a second, Seito," Zuko pleaded. As soon as the boy's feet touched the floor he screeched in Zuko's good ear. Zuko lifted the boy so they were looking each other in the eye. "Look, as Fire Lord and your big brother I order you to stop doing that." Seito put his fist in his mouth in response.<p>

Zuko started pacing around the room. "What am I going to do with you?" He asked Seito. The baby didn't give any answers, instead he reached for the gold flame in Zuko's hair. "No, not for you." Seito whimpered which Zuko was quickly learning meant he was about to cry. "Mom likes to tell me I tried to take the flame out of Grandfather's hair and I was told no so you can't either." Zuko thought for a second. "Well, technically not your grandfather. For you he was Fire Lord Azulon. Just like I have to be Fire Lord Zuko in public instead of your brother. See that got Kiyi in trouble once when she was saying the oath in the morning and said she'd fight for her brother. Just remember Seito: it's Fire Lord Zuko."

Seito grinned and patted Zuko's right cheek while saying "Zuzu."

"I'm so glad I found you at this moment," Azula said as she came into the sitting room. Zuko glared at her and cursed every spirit he could name because he really needed Azula knowing that Seito now called him Zuzu. "Honestly it's amazing you can run the whole country if you can't get a baby to say your name properly."

"Come on Seito, let's prove Azula wrong by saying 'Zuko' properly."

"Zuzu," Seito said. He looked at Azula. "Zu-la."

She scowled. "A-zu-la. Say it right," she commanded.

"Zula."

Zuko smirked. "What are you doing here anyway?" He asked as he bounced Seito slightly.

"Mother told me to help you watch him while she and her husband take Kiyi out for her birthday," Azula said sourly. "I only just got bored and thought I would check on you."

"You know Mom offered to take you out for your birthday this year too."

"I'd rather go back to the mental institution in a straight jacket and chi-blocked than watch Love Amongst the Dragons again." They shivered together.

"I know why Mom likes it so much, it's just…" Zuko trailed off and, once again, stopped Seito from trying to reach for his flame.

"Why she feels the need to subject her children to that play over and over again?"

"Yes, that." Zuko held Seito up again. "Just think in a few years you'll get to see that play too. Five thousand times." Seito started to cry.

"Good job Zuzu. Now make him stop."

"I've been trying to do that when he cries when I put him down."

"Order him to stop."

"He's a baby." Zuko scowled. "And I tried that and it didn't work. I'm sorry you're going to have to see that play so many times," Zuko cooed as he tried to calm the baby with walking around the room. "Really it's a nice story. Make sure that when you're pretending to play the story after the play that you're the Dragon Emperor."

"I still think I'm the better emperor," Azula muttered. Zuko rolled his eyes. "And I bet I can make him calm down."

"Fine." Zuko held Seito out to her. "Take him."

Azula grabbed her little brother and held him at arms length. "Look you," she said sternly. "You are going to stop crying and you're going to play on the floor. Understood?" Seito screwed up his face and whimpered. "What is that smell?"

"Mom said he still wears diapers."

"Isn't he two? Shouldn't that be taken care of?"

Zuko shrugged. "I have a bag with extras if you want to change him."

She glared at him. "Why should I change him?"

"You have more experience with kids."

"Because I'm a girl? Let me remind you that I set fire to my dolls for a reason."

"Haha you spent more time with Tom Tom."

"You dated Mai!"

"While her brother was with her parents!"

"Zuzu!" Seito added to the fray.

"He wants you to change him," Azula said sweetly. Zuko balked. "Think of it as practice for when you have an heir."

"There is going to be a nanny," Zuko muttered as he took back Seito. "In fact, let's go find someone who knows how to change a diaper."

"You don't? I thought living as a peasant would force you to learn everything."

"Did living in the woods help you learn how to hunt?" Azula narrowed her eyes at Zuko. "See you don't learn everything. Come on, let's find someone to change his diaper."

"Zula carry!" Seito said as he reached out to Azula.

"Aw he likes you."

"Let's go, I won't carry him when he smells."

It took them a few minutes until they found a guard who had experience with diapers. "Pay attention, Fire Lord and Princess, you might need to know this." He chuckled while the royal siblings glared at him. "Or not," he muttered before making funny faces at the baby.

All cleaned up Seito was handed to Azula, who still held him at arms length. "I guess you're clean now."

"Zula hungry!" Seito complained.

"Zuko you didn't feed him?" Azula accused.

"Mom didn't tell me he needed food!"

"Uh, if I may, I'm sure you can find something in kitchens for him."

"Thank you, we'll do that," Zuko said as he pushed Azula down the hall before she could say anything.

"Zuzu you could have been slightly more subtle about that," Azula said.

"And you could have said something horrible to him."

"He tried to tell us what to do, he has no right to do that."

"It's called giving advice and it's not a bad thing to listen to." Azula laughed. "I'm serious!"

"Sure you are."

"Zuzu hungry," Seito said as they walked into the kitchens. The staff stood up and bowed to the group.

"Your majesty, your highness, and uh," the cook tried to think of the proper honorific for the baby.

"Don't worry about it. He's hungry," Zuko said.

"Of course, I'll have dinner brought up to your sitting room, Fire Lord," she said.

"Quickly," Azula added. "And you're turn to carry him." She shoved Seito into Zuko's arms.

"I held him longer!" Zuko complained as they left the kitchen.

"Well can he walk?"

"I...don't know? Can you walk?" He asked. Seito grinned. "Well let's see." Zuko placed Seito's feet on the ground and thanked the spirits the baby didn't scream this time. "He can stand!" Seito could and once he was sure of his feet he took off.

"And run," Azula added.

"Seito come back!" Zuko took off after the baby. Seito raced down the hallway and out into the garden before Zuko could catch him.

"No wonder you had no luck chasing the Avatar, you're dead slow."

"Shut up Azula!"

She laughed as they made their way to the sitting room. Food was laid out for them and Azula sat down gracefully and started to serve herself. "You're supposed to wait for me before you eat."

"Sit down Dark Water Spirit and feed the baby."

"Can he eat this?" Zuko asked as he pointed to the roast duck.

Azula shrugged. "How should I know? He has teeth right?" Zuko nodded. "So he can eat everything. Make him eat the vegetables like Mother made us do as kids."

Zuko dutifully piled Seito's plate with vegetables, rice, and duck. Seito began shoving food in his mouth with his hands. He then held a handful out of rice to Zuko and said "hungry Zuzu?"

"I have my own." Zuko gestured to his own plate, filled with food.

"Zula?" Azula grimaced and shook her head. Seito stuck his hand in his mouth to get the rest of the rice on his hand.

"When is Mother coming back?" Azula asked.

"She said later tonight, I guess we'll have to put Seito to bed later."

"Are you going to read him a story?"

"Why?"

"Mother always did that." Zuko stared at his sister. "What? I remember that and how she wouldn't tell me stories about wars and conquering. They were always stupid stories with morals."

"Toy," Seito demanded.

"He wants his stuffed turtleduck," Zuko said as he stood to get the toy. "I'll be right back." Zuko hurried to get the turtleduck (and the dragon he gave his brother) and return so the baby wasn't with Azula too long.

When he came back in Azula was staring at the baby with rice in her hair. "He throw that at me! Zuko punish him!"

"He doesn't know what he's doing. Besides you threw food at me all the time."

"Because you were older and I wanted to annoy you!"

"And you're his big sister."

She pouted. "Well I see he likes the same stupid toys that you did." Zuko handed the turtleduck to Seito and tried to give him the dragon too but he refused it. Zuko put the dragon back in his pocket.

"Prince Quakers is much more than a toy!"

Azula's eyes brightened at his statement. "Is?"

Zuko quickly recovered. "Was more than a toy."

"Of course, so I won't find it in your room?"

"You can't go in there!"

Seito watched his siblings bicker as he sucked on the stuffed turtleduck's beak. He dropped the toy and yawned loudly.

"Let's get you to bed." Zuko picked up his brother and the toy as well. "I'm also going to put the dragon in your crib."

Azula followed Zuko to Ursa and Ikem's guest room. She stood next to Zuko after he put Seito in the crib. "Should we change him for bed?"

"You want to change him?" Zuko asked.

"No, he's fine as he is." They looked down at their half-brother. Seito yawned again and put the turtleduck back in his mouth. "This is still weird."

"Having younger siblings?" Azula nodded. "At least they'll never try to kill you."

"I only really did that twice. Besides I'm beginning to think you're not that bad."

"I think that's the first nice thing you've ever said to me."

"Don't get used to it."

"Don't get used to what?" Ursa asked as she came to stand by her children.

"Nothing," Azula muttered.

"Thank you for watching the baby." She hugged Zuko and then tried to hug Azula who took a step back. "All right then," She said. "Ikem is taking a little longer cause Kiyi feel asleep on the way home. You two can leave before he gets back."

"Thank you," Zuko and Azula said at the same time.

"Good night," Zuko called as he left. Azula was silent.

"You know you could be nicer," Zuko said.

"That was nice," Azula countered.

"Fine. Thanks for helping with Seito."

"You're welcome. Don't expect me to watch any of your kids."

"I'm never even going to let you be alone with them."

Azula smirked. "Now I'm going to make it my mission to be your kids favorite aunt."

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><p><strong>Reviews are awesome.<strong>


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